RoadVitals

2017 Indian Roadmaster Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
9
Latest Jun 3, 2023
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
5
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2017 Indian Roadmaster, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Electrical654.5%
  • Powertrain (other)218.2%
  • Driver assistance19.1%
  • Engine19.1%
  • Fuel system19.1%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

6
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

My motorcycle went in a couple of years ago for a check because it would show neutral but be in gear and vice versa. The dealer cleaned the contacts and pins. It was fine for a bit and now at 55K miles it’s back to doing the same thing. It will show neutral and I’m on the highway doing 65 mph. The. Third gear and I’m stopped with the clutch out. The dealer is now saying we have to pay for this to be checked during routine servicing? 1.8 hours at $165.00 and hour? That’s bs. They know the problem are the pins and springs but they, the dealer, won’t change them. Because parts, to me, are $130 then $$300 in labor. They’re making a huge profit of their mistake. I’ve included a photo of the parts for the repair and the inflated prices for them.

NHTSA ID 11525199 · filed Jun 3, 2023

The clutch switch has failed open. If the engine stalls while in traffic, the rider is required to shift the transmission into neutral before the engine will restart. This could be a dangerous situation depending on what terrane the bike and rider are on. The normal operation for restart of the engine in a stall situation is to simply pull the clutch lever in and hit the start button. The starter should engage regardless of where the gear selector is as long as the clutch lever is pulled in. When researching this problem on YouTube and the Indian Motorcycle Forum, it is wide spread.

NHTSA ID 11524391 · filed May 30, 2023

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 INDIAN ROADMASTER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V776000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AN UNKNOWN DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID 11360520 · filed Sep 22, 2020

LORS DE FORTE PLUIE , LE MOTEUR TOURNE SUR UN SEUL CYLINDRE ET CALE PARFOIS.

NHTSA ID 11219719 · filed Jun 13, 2019

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Driver assistance

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

I just had my recall replaced 3 TIMES because it was reading neutral in 6th gear and dropping me out of cruise AND NEVER start while in neutral ever

NHTSA ID 11480933 · filed Aug 24, 2022

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

POLARIS CASE # 4018942. ON FEBRUARY 3, 2017 AT ABOUT 5:00 ' 5:30PM EST, MY 2017 INDIAN ROADMASTER (THE 'BIKE') RETURNED THREE COMPUTER ERRORS AND FAILED TO START WHILE I WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT LOCATED AT 4260 PEACHTREE RD NE IN BROOKHAVEN, GA. THE INFORMATION CENTER ON THE BIKE DIRECTED ME TO 'CONTACT DEALER' (THE 'INCIDENT'). AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE BIKE HAD 837 MILES ON IT. I CONTACTED DEALER AS INSTRUCTED, WHO REFERRED ME TO DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT PARTNER ("SERVICE"). SERVICE INSTRUCTED ME THAT THERE WERE KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE ('ECM') AND MAIN WIRING HARNESS ('MAIN HARNESS') DISCONNECT THROUGH VIBRATION, BUT SUCH ISSUES ARE REPAIRED OSTENSIBLY BY A NYLON ZIP-TIE AS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION AWAITING MANUFACTURER ACTIONS. THE ECM HAS NO POSITIVE LATCHING COMPONENT ON IT TO SECURE THE MAIN HARNESS TO THE ECM AND THUS MAINTAIN A SOLID CONNECTION. THE MAIN HARNESS VIBRATES LOOSE OVER TIME, IN MY CASE 837 MILES, FROM THE ECM AND THUS KILLS THE BIKE, JUST AS I EXPERIENCED. DEALER REPORTED THAT MY INCIDENT IS ONE OF AT LEAST TWO THAT HAVE OCCURRED WITH THE ECM AND MAIN HARNESS ON A BRAND-NEW CHIEFTAIN AND MY ROADMASTER (DOP 12/2/2016), SINCE ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER, 2016; DEALER HAVING SOLD ABOUT 20 MOTORCYCLES SINCE OCTOBER, 2016. THAT IS A FAILURE RATE OF 10% FROM DEALER ALONE OVER A ROUGHLY 1/3 OF A YEAR. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT THE BIKE IS COMPLETELY POWERED OFF WHEN THE MAIN HARNESS DISCONNECTS FROM THE ECM: THE ENGINE DIES, NO TURN SIGNALS FUNCTION, NO EMERGENCY FLASHERS, NO HEADLIGHTS OR TAILLIGHTS. I HAPPENED TO BE IN A PARKING LOT AT THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE. HOWEVER, WERE THIS TO HAPPEN AT SPEED ON A FREEWAY, OR ON A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY ON WHICH THERE IS NO SHOULDER, A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE IN THIS PART OF GEORGIA, SUCH FAILURE COULD HAVE MORE DIRE CONSEQUENCES. IN MY VIEW, LIVES ARE AT RISK.

NHTSA ID 10957550 · filed Feb 28, 2017

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

POLARIS CASE # 4018942. ON FEBRUARY 3, 2017 AT ABOUT 5:00 ' 5:30PM EST, MY 2017 INDIAN ROADMASTER (THE 'BIKE') RETURNED THREE COMPUTER ERRORS AND FAILED TO START WHILE I WAS PARKED IN A PARKING LOT LOCATED AT 4260 PEACHTREE RD NE IN BROOKHAVEN, GA. THE INFORMATION CENTER ON THE BIKE DIRECTED ME TO 'CONTACT DEALER' (THE 'INCIDENT'). AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE BIKE HAD 837 MILES ON IT. I CONTACTED DEALER AS INSTRUCTED, WHO REFERRED ME TO DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT PARTNER ("SERVICE"). SERVICE INSTRUCTED ME THAT THERE WERE KNOWN ISSUES WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE ('ECM') AND MAIN WIRING HARNESS ('MAIN HARNESS') DISCONNECT THROUGH VIBRATION, BUT SUCH ISSUES ARE REPAIRED OSTENSIBLY BY A NYLON ZIP-TIE AS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION AWAITING MANUFACTURER ACTIONS. THE ECM HAS NO POSITIVE LATCHING COMPONENT ON IT TO SECURE THE MAIN HARNESS TO THE ECM AND THUS MAINTAIN A SOLID CONNECTION. THE MAIN HARNESS VIBRATES LOOSE OVER TIME, IN MY CASE 837 MILES, FROM THE ECM AND THUS KILLS THE BIKE, JUST AS I EXPERIENCED. DEALER REPORTED THAT MY INCIDENT IS ONE OF AT LEAST TWO THAT HAVE OCCURRED WITH THE ECM AND MAIN HARNESS ON A BRAND-NEW CHIEFTAIN AND MY ROADMASTER (DOP 12/2/2016), SINCE ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER, 2016; DEALER HAVING SOLD ABOUT 20 MOTORCYCLES SINCE OCTOBER, 2016. THAT IS A FAILURE RATE OF 10% FROM DEALER ALONE OVER A ROUGHLY 1/3 OF A YEAR. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT THE BIKE IS COMPLETELY POWERED OFF WHEN THE MAIN HARNESS DISCONNECTS FROM THE ECM: THE ENGINE DIES, NO TURN SIGNALS FUNCTION, NO EMERGENCY FLASHERS, NO HEADLIGHTS OR TAILLIGHTS. I HAPPENED TO BE IN A PARKING LOT AT THE TIME OF OCCURRENCE. HOWEVER, WERE THIS TO HAPPEN AT SPEED ON A FREEWAY, OR ON A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY ON WHICH THERE IS NO SHOULDER, A FREQUENT OCCURRENCE IN THIS PART OF GEORGIA, SUCH FAILURE COULD HAVE MORE DIRE CONSEQUENCES. IN MY VIEW, LIVES ARE AT RISK.

NHTSA ID 10957550 · filed Feb 28, 2017

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .